The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to an off-host authentication system for an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some IHSs are secured by providing authentication systems on those IHSs that operate to authenticate users such that those users may use the IHS. Typically, a user will be required to provide some form of authentication credentials to the IHS, which may include a passcode, pass phrase, personal identification number, challenge response, fingerprint, retinal scan, face identification, voice identification, physical identification card, and/or a variety of other authentication credentials known in the art. In conventional IHSs, the authentication credentials are verified by a host processor in the IHS to determine whether the user is authorized to access the IHS and, if so, the user is logged into the IHS and allowed to access at least some functionality of the IHS. The authentication of a user by a host processor in the IHS raises a number of issues, as unauthorized persons may gain access to the host processor and manipulate the authentication process such that they gain access to the IHS.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved authentication system.